Jannik Sinner reveals how he truly feels about being Italian after having his national identity questioned in the wake of Davis Cup drama

Jannik Sinner recently shared a candid take on what it feels for him to be Italian. The reigning World No. 1 in men's singles tennis has faced plenty of questions regarding his national identity over the years, primarily because of the part of Italy he hails from. The recent conversation surrounding the four-time Major champion in his home country has also been negative for the most part because of his withdrawal from the 2025 Davis Cup Finals.

Sinner was born and raised in the South Tyrol region of the Italian Alps. The region, despite being in Italy, is quite close to Austria, and its natives' first language happens to be German. Sinner's appearance too, particularly his red hair, sets him apart from the typically Mediterranean look of people hailing from the more southern parts of Italy.

These realities have often contributed to the 24-year-old's national identity being questioned in mainstream Italian media. Similar questions were posed once again after he decided to pull out from Italy's Davis Cup title defense this year citing his desire to begin preparing in advance for the 2026 Australian Open. It's worth noting that Sinner was an integral part of Italy's back-to-back title triumphs at the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Davis Cup.

In a recent conversation with Sky Sports, Jannik Sinner was asked if he would be perceived differently in his home country had he been born in the south of Italy. While the World No. 1 didn't know how to answer this question, he went on to lay bare his pride at being an Italian national. The 23-time ATP Tour-level singles titlist said:

"This is a question to which I don’t know how to respond. I don’t know. It’s like saying since today it’s sunny, it won’t rain.But I’m proud to be Italian, I’m very happy to be born in Italy and not in Austria or anywhere else. Because like I always said, and I say it with full honesty, this country deserves much more than what I’m doing: we have infrastructures, coaches, players, so many different mentalities which are also our strength."

Jannik Sinner praises Italy's diversity; stresses on need for country's people to stay united

Jannik Sinner during a press conference at the 2025 Paris Masters (Source: Getty)

Going on to speak up about the inherent diversity among the Italian people hailing from different regions of the country, Jannik Sinner told Sky Sports:

"Some say Alto Adige is different, some say Sicily is totally different… but we are lucky for it, in my opinion."

The World No. 1 also urged his compatriots, irrespective of where they were born and brought up, to put up a united front for ensuring Italy's progress.

"We have everything to compete with the bests in the world, we need to stay united, to love each other and give each other strength to win more trophies and have more pride, because Italy deserves it.," he added.

On the tennis front, Jannik Sinner most recently secured his fifth Masters 1000 title at this year's Paris Masters, which also helped him to dethrone rival Carlos Alcaraz at the summit of the ATP Tour's singles rankings. Up next for the Italian is his title defense at the year-end ATP Finals in Turin.

Edited by Sudipto Pati